Orange
by MeCakeandLove
Summary: Eli always plays her guitar on the rooftop. Only, this time, it's for someone else. Two-shot. Now a multi-chapter fic. The chapters just got so damn long.
1. Chapter 1

Eli always plays her guitar on the rooftop. Only, this time, it's for someone else.

 _-Orange-_

"Eli-chan, nya!" Rin waved as she ran towards Eli. Classes were over for today and Eli was about to head to the rooftop, guitar slung over her shoulders.

"What is it, Rin?" Eli asked as the girl came to a stop in front of her.

"You're about to go to the rooftop today too, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Rin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I remember Kayo-chin saying that the Idol Research Club will be practicing there for a while, since, apparently, a wooden bench and a file cabinet got destroyed in their club room."

"...I don't want to know how that happened but okay." Eli replied. "Was that all you wanted to tell me, Rin?"

Rin shook her head. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and Kayo-chin on Saturday."

"To where, exactly?"

"To the theater. A new movie was released so me and Kayo-chin wanted to check it out. So I was wondering if you wanted to come?" Rin asked.

Saturday. Hmm.. well, she doesn't have any plans on that day, but Eli didn't really feel like going to the movies. At most, she would probably fall asleep ten minutes in, so she wouldn't really get the most out of the 500 yen she would spend for a ticket.

"Sorry, Rin, but I'll have to decline on that. Maybe some other time?"

Eli saw Rin's face fall a tiny bit before going back to a bright, cheery smile. "That's alright, Eli-chan! I'll be holding you up to that, okay?"

"Rin-chan!" Eli looked over Rin's shoulder to see Hanayo waving at the two. "Hey, Eli-chan!" Eli put her hand up in acknowledgement while Rin spun around and met Hanayo's wave with an enthusiastic one of her own. "Kayo-chin!"

Rin ran toward Hanayo's direction before turning around and shouting over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Eli-chan!"

Eli laughed and shouted back. "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Rin!"

Once they disappeared from Eli's line of sight, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Her favorite spot to kill time was taken. Great. Eli sighed again. Well, might as well see who exactly has taken her favorite spot away. She walked at leisurely pace, guitar and school bag in tow, to the door that connected to the rooftop, the place where she would play her heart out, original compositions of course. Once she got there, she could hear the faint sound of a voice, presumably counting in a steady pace, from behind the door.

When Eli peeked through the the little glass window on the door, her breath caught in her throat. Rin was right, the Idol Research Club was indeed practicing here instead of their club room. What made Eli's breath catch in her throat, however, was a girl with hair the color of lilacs with stunning emerald irises, a generous sized chest, and a smile that rivaled the sun. In Eli's words, a goddess. The way she moved her body and carried herself was nothing short of admirable, and the way she would smile as if she had not a care in the world was what made Eli fall under her charm.

After a while of staring at the girl with purple hair, Eli quickly caught herself. _What the hell am I thinking?! I just saw her for the first time and now I look like I've found my long lost soulmate! Umi would definitely call this shameless._ Eli chuckled at the thought of her blue haired friend, already imagining the scenario. _Anyways, I better- HOLY CRAP she's coming this way!_

Indeed, the purple haired maiden was making her way to the door of the rooftop, where Eli was currently positioned at. Eli nearly tripped over herself and dropped her guitar, trying to get away from the door and back down the stairs.

"Alright, guys, we'll stop here for today." The purple haired girl said while picking up her bag. The others with her nodded and moved to get their own bags. one by one, the girls filed out of the rooftop and down the steps.

"Bye, Nozomi-chan!" a ginger haired girl had called.

 _Nozomi, huh? What a fitting name._ Eli mused. _Wait, I'm sounding like a creepy stalker. Now this is definitely shameless._

Finally, Nozomi went down the steps and turned a corner, disappearing from Eli's view. Eli sighed in relief and stepped out of her hiding place. _Man, that was a close call._ _Well, I better get going before Arisa nags me about staying out for too long._

Eli walked through the halls of Otonokizaka, deciding that guitar playing would have to be put on hold.

 _-Orange-_

Classes were dismissed as Eli once again made her way to the rooftop to watch the Idol Research Club practice their routine. They held Live Shows once a month and a good half of the student population always came to watch. This month was no different. Eli observed that their training regime looked a bit harder than the last days since their Live Show was due this Friday. Eli always had her eyes on Nozomi, observing every movement, every mistake, every feature.

 _Crap, maybe I am a creepy stalker. A creepy musician stalker._

Eli would watched them until they would dismiss and go home, until Nozomi would walk out and pass by her usual hiding place, until she would disappear around that same corner every afternoon.

But this time, Nozomi didn't walk by her hiding place.

"Hello~" A voice behind her said. Eli almost jumped out of her skin. She quickly swerved her head around and was met with a goddess. It was Nozomi.

Before she could admire Nozomi up close, Eli caught herself and asked. "How the hell did you get there?!"

The girl laughed. "Oh, I have my ways~" Yup, definitely an odd one. But that made her more attractive, in Eli's opinion.

"Yeah, ways," Eli muttered. Nozomi smiled a smile Eli can only describe as 'so-pretty-I'm-about-to-melt'.

"You always come here to watch us practice right?" Oh, so she'd been caught. If Rin or, worse, Maki found out, then she wouldn't be able to live this down.

"..Y-yeah.." Eli said, averting her eyes.

Nozomi's smile grew wider. "Thank you for supporting us! It means a lot to us that we are slowly gaining more supporters. And a musician has been added!" Nozomi pointed to the guitar slung on Eli's shoulders. "Do you compose your own music?"

"Yeah, most of them are just instrumentals, though. I'm not really good with lyrics and all that." Eli answered.

"Wow, that must be amazing, being able to create your own music."

Eli chuckled. "Well, music is the only way I can express myself freely." Eli's expression then turned solemn. "You see, I'm not good with words. I'm socially awkward, as you would call it, so words and getting along with other people aren't really my forte. Because of this, I turned to music."

Eli then started to get lost in her thoughts, forgetting a certain purple haired girl standing in front of her. Nozomi stared at Eli's solemn face and suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, what's your name?" Nozomi asked. This seemed to snap the blonde out of her thoughts. Eli mentally kicked herself for not introducing herself beforehand. Though, she was kind of a stalker so she really didn't want to be found out.

"My name's Ayase Eli."

Nozomi beamed at her. "Well then, Elicchi,"

"E-elicchi!?"

"I'm Toujou Nozomi. Would you like to be my friend?"

Eli's gay heart melted. _The goddess just asked if I wanted to be her friend. I think I can die happy._

Eli snapped back to reality and answered a little too loud,

"Y-yes! I-i mean, if you're fine with someone like me, then..." Eli trailed off as Nozomi hugged her, catching her off guard.

"T-toujou-san?" Nozomi looked her in the face.

"Call me Nozomi, Elicchi."

Eli's face heated up at the close proximity. "S-sure, N-nozomi," Nozomi smiled at her again. Eli was sure she was going to faint on the spot. Luckily, she didn't.

Nozomi broke the hug, much to Eli's disappointment, and waved. "See you tomorrow, Elicchi. You will come by tomorrow and watch, right?"

Eli couldn't help but smile warmly. "Yeah, I'll be there." Nozomi giggled and waved again as she walked away, disappearing around that familiar corner.

Eli couldn't help the stupid smile that threatened to split her face in half as she walked home.

 _-Orange-_

It was after classes once again, Eli deciding to hang out in her classroom a bit before heading up to the rooftop. Umi and Maki happened to be passing by, so, with a bit of convincing, Eli now had company. One story lead to the next until Eli accidentally let slip about Nozomi. She ended up telling the whole story about how Rin had informed her about the Idol Research Club, how she had indeed proved that they were practicing on the rooftop, how she deliberately watched them practice, not one of them interrupting her.

"So you decide to stalk this Nozomi chick and then both of you became friends." Maki summarized the story Eli had told them while pinching the bridge of her nose. Eli purposefully left out the part where she was called out by Nozomi herself.

"Well, I wouldn't call it stalking. Just blatant admiration, staring from afar." Eli answered.

"Yes, that would not be qualified as stalking since Eli is not following Toujou-san around like a hunter tracking down game. However, behavior such as that can be qualified as creepy obsession." Umi chipped in.

"...Thank you for the, uh, explanation, Umi. But, I am not obsessed with her!"

"Uhuh." Maki deadpanned. "Try telling that to your prerecorded voice fawning over her." She took out a tape recorder and pressed play. Eli's voice flowed out from the speaker talking about Nozomi.

"Maki! You recorded what I was telling you?!"

Maki shrugged. "It's good blackmail material. Can't pass it up." Eli glared at Maki.

"Umi, help me here." Eli pleaded.

"Sh-shameless..." Umi had a hint of pink on her cheeks, eyes looking anywhere but Eli, as the recorded voice kept on babbling about Nozomi's...curves.

"Umi!"

"Excuse me," A new voice said. All three turned to the source of the voice, Maki pausing the tape recorder in the process. "Can I borrow Elicchi here for a moment?"

"Nozomi!"

Two heads turned to Eli. And then back at Nozomi. Nozomi giggled and took hold of Eli's arm, dragging her to the door of the classroom. Eli barely snagged her guitar resting beside her seat.

Umi and Maki just stared as Eli was being dragged away by a purple haired girl with emerald eyes. Realization dawned on Maki.

"Wait... That must be.." Maki turned to Umi. "Umi!"

"On it." Umi said as she took out a video camera. "Maki."

"Operation Find More Blackmail Material Against Ayase Eli is under way!" Maki announced as she trudged after the pair with Umi following right behind.

 _-Orange-_

Nozomi dragged Eli to the rooftop, a place both of them knew well. Once they got there, Eli got Nozomi's grip off of her.

"So, why'd you drag me one story up to the roof?" Eli asked.

"I'd like you to meet the other members of the Idol Research Club!" Nozomi smiled. As always, Eli ogled for a bit. Nozomi got a bit nervous with the odd face Eli was making at her.

"Uh, Elicchi?" That seemed to snap Eli out of it.

"Y-yes! You were saying?"

Nozomi's smile never once left her face. "I said, I would like you to meet the other members of the Idol Research Club."

Eli, not one to keep people waiting, put on a serious face and said, "Well, then, what are we waiting for?"

Nozomi had a remark to that but kept quiet. "Shall we?~"

Eli opened the door, letting Nozomi walk in first. She then entered and was greeted by a sight of three girls. Nozomi stood beside a ginger haired girl and gestured to Eli. "Nicocchi, Kotori-chan, Honoka-chan, I'd like you to meet Eli-chan."

One hand on the strap of her guitar slung on her shoulders, Eli raised her other hand in greeting and smiled. "Nice to meet you. My name is Ayase Eli."

They were all momentarily blinded by Eli's aura. Despite being a really awkward person and an overall social loner, at first glance, Eli can look incredibly handsome and incredibly beautiful all at the same time.

Nico used her hands and dramatically shielded her eyes from Eli's aura. "Woah, so bright..."

Kotori giggled at Nico's antics. Eli sweat dropped. Honoka approached Eli first and stuck out her hand.

"Eli-chan, my name is Kousaka Honoka! Honoka is fine, though." Eli took her hand and, before she could react, Honoka shook it so hard she felt her arm might come off.

"Honoka-chan, I think Ayase-san looks a bit uncomfortable." Kotori put a hand on Honoka's shoulder. _Thank the gods. I thought I was gonna have my arm ripped off._ Eli thought. _Well, she surely is energetic._

Seeming to realize only now Eli's discomfort, she quickly let go and bowed over and over. "I-i'm sorry, Eli-chan! I didn't think I shook it that hard!"

Eli weakly smiled, clutching her arm. "D-don't worry about it. I'm used to it..." She said the last part in a whisper.

Kotori approached her next, bowing as she spoke. "Nice to meet you, Ayase-san. I'm Minami Kotori. I hope we can get along." She straightened up and smiled.

 _Minami? Wait, isn't she..._ "Minami? Are you by any chance Minami-sensei's daughter?"

"That's right." She replied.

"You know..." Eli started, "My friend, Umi, told me that she has the ho-" Eli was stopped by a hand slamming forcefully to her mouth.

"Eli," Umi smiled in that creepy, dark way. "We talked about this, right?" Eli shivered.

"U-umi... Wait, what are you doing here?"

Umi's menacing aura disappeared, replaced by uneasiness. "I..uh..."

"Umi, you gay idiot! You blew our cover!" Maki shouted from her place by the door.

"Maki! What the hell are you doing here too?" Eli shouted. "Don't tell me... you guys followed me here, didn't you?"

Umi tugged at her collar with her right hand, her left hand holding the video camera behind her back. Maki looked the other way and whistled, hands clasped behind her back. Like they could fool anyone though.

Eli sighed, exasperated. "Let me guess, more blackmail material?"

Maki and Umi reluctantly nodded.

"Gee, you guys are the greatest best friends ever."

"Why thank you, Eli." Maki replied, smirking.

"That was sarcastic, Maki."

"I know."

Nozomi cleared her throat. "Uhm, Elicchi..."

Eli turned back to the four members of the Idol Research Club. "I'm sorry about these two children. They have yet to learn discipline." She gave an apologetic smile.

Umi seemed unfazed at being called a child while Maki looked put off.

"Hey! Who are you calling a child?!"

Eli sent a pointed look to Maki. "You. Now, shut up or I'll give you a time out in the corner."

Umi tried to disguise her laugh as a cough. She failed, though. Even the Idol Research Club couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Eli cracked a smile.

Maki did, too.

Soon, enough everyone on the roof was laughing their hearts out.

Once the laughter had died down, Nozomi spoke up. "Elicchi, I think this introduction has been dragged on long enough."

"You're right. I'll introduce the children-"

"You're still going on with that?" Maki cut in.

"-some other time." Eli finished.

As Eli, Umi, and Maki motioned to leave, Nico cried out,

"Hey! What about me? Don't I get an introduction? I'm Super Idol Nico-Nii for freakin' sake!"

Maki wanted to say something, but, Eli, thinking it wasn't anything good, beat her to it. "O-oh, right. Really sorry about that." She rubbed the back of her neck.

Nico huffed in annoyance before putting her pointer and pinky fingers up in a stance beside her head. "Nico-Nico-nii!"

Maki tried to hold back heaps of laughter but failed. "H-holy c-crap, I think my...s-s-stomach is about to bur-" Another bout of laughter. Nico looked ticked off.

"And who are you?"

Maki found space in between her laughs and answered before she went off into a giggling fit. "N-nishikino Maki. First year."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Laughing at your upperclassmen. Such disrespect!" Nico pointed an accusing finger at Maki.

Maki stopped laughing to make an unreadable face. Eli looked desperately at Nozomi, looking for help to control the situation. All she received was a shrug and an amused smile. Eli was trying desperately hard to not drag Maki into the school again.

"You know, I don't even want to laugh anymore."

Nico backed up a bit. "What's with those faces?"

"Uh, Niccochi, I think Elicchi here is about to have an aneurysm so, if possible, can we all go now? It is getting pretty late." Nozomi said while putting a hand on a very unamused-looking Eli.

Maki instantly tensed upon seeing that look on Eli's face. She was in for a lot of trouble. Maki slowly inched her way to the door, walking backwards.

"O-oh yeah, I forgot I had something to help my mom with. So I-i'll see you guys later!" Maki made a run for it. Eli followed close behind, the look never once leaving her face. Nozomi sighed and walked in after them, going to make sure that they don't wreck anything. Nico crossed her arms and soon followed.

All of this while Kotori had fallen asleep on Umi's shoulder when they were talking, the latter not able to do anything while Honoka snapped a picture.


	2. Chapter 2

After that introduction, they had become almost inseperable, though Nico was still a bit ticked off about the Nico-Nico-nii fiasco. It had been about four days since then so currently, they were on the rooftop once again, the idol group's live tomorow slowly creeping in. Eli had once again come to watch with Umi and Maki deciding to tag along.

She may not look it, but Eli had had experience in dancing, being a ballerina in her elementary days and all, so she decided to be the group's dance coach for the meantime. Eli watched each one of them intently, almost criticizing.

"Honoka, you're lagging behind and your movements are a bit stiff! Just relax." Eli instructed.

Honoka nodded with a salute and tried to catch up. A few more seconds passed before Eli's voice rang again,

"Nico, stop moving too close to Kotori! You're about to bump into her!"

"I'm not!" Nico whined while continuing with their routine.

"Focus, Nico." Eli replied sternly.

The time to take a break was warmly welcomed as the idol group sighed, exhausted. Nico plopped down beside Maki who was currently playing on the PSP she had brought with her.

"What'cha playin'?"

"Project Diva F." Maki curtly responded. Indeed, Maki was playing Project Diva F and if Nico's memory served to be correct, she was playing the song Suki Kirai.

"Oooh, can I play?" Nico asked like a child going to an arcade for the first time. Maki finished the song and faced her with her usual stoic face. She shrugged.

"Sure. I don't see why not."

Maki handed over the handheld gaming console and watched while Nico picked a song. When Nico picked a song that she liked (Of course she would pick Nekomimi Switch, Maki had thought), Nico started playing.

Maki tried not to rip her hair out in sheer frustration at Nico's noobness. She either was hitting the buttons too early or too late. The look on Nico's face though was enough to make Maki's annoyance rise. Her face showed sheer confidence, as though she was getting a perfect score.

Once the song finished, Maki quickly snatched away the device and saved before going back to the home screen, this time picking a different game. She settled on Tekken Tag Tournament, as it was her favorite since it came out.

Nico watched Maki with interest, mesmerized at Maki's exceptional playing. Doing combo after combo until she knocked out her opponent. It seemed like Maki had been playing for years.

Once she finished the match, Nico asked,

"Hey, Maki-chan, why are you so good at these games?"

Maki tensed, not expecting to be asked this question. "Uh, why do you ask?"

"No reason."

Well, if it was for no reason, then she can decline to answer it, right? Wrong. Even if it was for no reason, Nico would still bug her to no end. This _was_ Yazawa Nico she was talking about. So she just sighed and decided to just answer it.

"Well, their is a long explanation for it. But for the most part, since I graduated high school when I was 12-"

"Wait, what?! You already graduated high school?! You said you were a first year!"

"Let me finish will you? And, yes, I said I was a first year since I technically am one."

Nico looked puzzled. "What? I'm not understanding anything. You mean to say that you graduated high school when you were 12 but you're still here as a first year?"

Maki made a face. "I decided to go back to school to escape my house more often. But before that, I didn't have anything to do so I turned to video games. Hours of video games really hone your skills."

Nico sighed dramatically. "You've grown up to become a NEET. How sad."

"I am not a NEET!"

"Then why haven't you gone to college yet?"

Maki slumped and turned off the PSP in her hand. "I can't decide on a course. I don't even know what to major, anyway. So I thought going back to high school would help me think."

"Okay, I can understand that much but what I don't get is why you want to be away from your house." Nico said. "Does your father have a gay lover or something?"

Maki's face flushed red. "Of course not!" She tried to will her face back to its original color and replied. "Papa's too busy with the hospital that he rarely comes home. Says that it feels empty without Mama in the house. He doesn't care that I'm still fucking alive and breathing."

Nico looked shocked because of many things. One, Maki's family owned a hospital. Two, Maki cussed and spoke bad of her father. And, three, Maki's mother is no longer alive. She decided to question the third one.

"Your mother's dead?"

"Weren't you listening?" Maki glared.

"Hey," Nico raised both her hands up in defense. "I was just making sure."

Maki dropped her glare and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, she is. Died when I was nine."

Nico watched Maki with concern. "Mind telling me about it?"

Maki's mind weighed the options.

 _ **Tell Nico.**_

 _ **Brush her off and change the topic.**_

Maki sighed. She really can't refuse now, can't she?

 ** _'Tell Nico' has been chosen._**

"It's going to be long. But, I don't mind telling you." Maki smirked

"Bring it." Nico smirked.

Maki's smirk quickly dropped from her face and gave way to a melancholic frown. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up.

"Where should I start?" Maki sighed once again. "Well, when I was younger, I used to play the piano a lot. Mama and Papa would always accompany me in the different contests that came around. I was pretty much well on my way to becoming a world-renowned pianist.

"It happened when we were driving home from a contest in the Kanto Region."

...

 _A car drove by the silent, still streets, the sound of its engine being the only thing that could be heard, as a family of three sat silently in their seats. The sun had just set, leaving a midnight blue blanket in its wake, and the stars shone brilliantly in the night sky._

 _A nine-year old Maki sat in the backseat of the car, smiling as she chatted away happily while her parents were listening with fond smiles on their faces._

 _"Woah, woah, kiddo, slow down there." Maki's father chuckled. "Save all your energy for when we get home. Then you can tell us everything, alright?"_

 _Maki nodded her head, being the ever obedient child that she was. The car had gone silent, since Maki's chatting had ceased. Maki's mother noticed that the little girl still had boundless energy inside her so she thought of putting her to sleep, since the ride home was a still a long way. Now, telling Maki to just go to sleep would be futile, as with all children, so Maki's mother put in one of her piano CDs._

 _A slow, lulling tune filled the car as the mellow sounds of the piano flowed out of the CD player. Maki brightened up at hearing one of her favorited artists, and favorite composition at that, and relaxed into the backseat. After a while, a yawn was heard._

 _Maki was about to fall asleep._

 _The girl's parents smiled fondly as Maki continued to be embraced by slumber. Before she could truly fall asleep though, Maki's mother began to cough violently. Alarmed, the little girl shot up and looked worriedly at her mother. Maki's father seemed to be in a state of panic too as he stepped on the gas pedal, daring to go faster than before. It was a good thing that even in his flurry, Maki's father still was a responsible driver._

 _The path they were taking was unfamiliar to Maki but her father seemed to know it well. All the while, her mother was still doubled over, coughing into her hand. Bright lights soon came into Maki's peripheral vision as the words 'Nishikino General Hospital, Kanto' illuminated the night. Her father had driven to a Nishikino Hospital branch in Kanto. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant._

 _Maki's father quickly pulled into the parking lot and ushered Maki outside while he carried his wife, who was still coughing wildly, into the hospital. Maki followed her father, shielding her eyes a bit at the sudden brightness that attacked her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she found that the hospital was in total chaos. Nurses were running left and right, some manic patients had run out of their rooms, and her father had run into the emergency room. Outside, she heard multiple sirens approaching the hospital. People, young and old, were rushed inside the hospital on stretchers, blood covering most of their visage._

 _She trailed after her father, coming in to seeing her mother being hooked up to an IV. The nurse in charge of her mother was talking frantically into a professional-looking walkie-talkie._ _Her father was shouting to hurry up. The nurse from earlier_ _nodded and they wheeled her mother's bed out of the emergency room. Their walking was rushed so Maki tried to keep pace as much as her little legs could go. The hospital was still in chaos so they had to maneuver around the nurses, patients and visitors in their way._

 _Maki was too focused on keeping pace with her father that she didn't notice that one of the patients was about to run into her. The collision sent Maki to the ground while the patient didn't seem to be fazed by the impact, going about to running who-knows-where. Maki felt her vision slowly black out until she lost all consciousness._

...

"W-when I woke u-up, Papa told me Mama could no longer be with us." She hadn't felt tears stream down her face while telling the story, but Maki was sure as hell feeling them now.

Nico's chest tightened at the sight of Maki crying. It just didn't look right seeing tears cascade down a face that rarely showed any emotion. Nico moved to Maki's front, hugging her. She was surprised when Maki showed no attempt at getting free.

"Maki-chan, it's okay. Your mother's up in some place happy with rainbows and fluffy clouds and stuff." Nico said while rubbing soothing circles around her back. "Everything's fine."

..

Kotori and Honoka ran up to Umi and glomped her. Umi turned red and tried to get the two off her.

"K-kotori! H-honoka!"

"Hey, Umi-chan!" Honoka and Kotori said in unison. They got off poor red-faced Umi and took a swig of their water bottles. Umi sighed and resumed drawing.

Honoka later on peeked over Umi's shoulder and her eyes widened. She turned to Kotori and tapped her shoulder repeatedly.

"Kotori-chan, Kotori-chan!" Honoka whisper-shouted.

Kotori looked over to Honoka and whispered back. "What is it, Honoka-chan?"

"Look at what Umi-chan is drawing!"

Kotori did as she was told and she let out a small gasp. On the sketchpad was a drawing of Honoka and Kotori, presumably when they were younger, in a very familiar playground playing on the swings.

"But, how...?" Kotori turned to Umi. "Umi-chan, what is this?"

Umi stopped and turned to look at her. "Oh, this? My memories are a bit fuzzy but I am sure that I had witnessed this before.

"You see, I was in an accident when I was younger that had caused me to lose my memories."

...

 _Umi's ten-year old self and her parents were riding a bus home on a summer night after a much needed vacation in both parties. Umi relaxed into her seat on the bus, her parents right beside her, as she idly listened to the light chatter resounding inside the vehicle._

 _"How was it, Umi?" Her father had asked her, taking away her attention from the chatter.  
_

 _Umi smiled at him. "It was great, father. Though I did not think that you would have chosen the ice rinks and then the beach."_

 _Umi's father rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I..uh..Haha..You got me there Umi. I thought it would have been a fun choice, you know? Something different. Because people go directly to the beach in summer so I thought we could go to the ice rink first."_

 _Umi's mother giggled. "That's very like you, dear." Her husband brought up a peace sign and smiled. Umi shook her head lightly, all the while smiling. Her father was a goofball sometimes, but he meant well._

 _After making small talk about how the trip went, they decided to get some shut-eye since it was still a long way back. It was night time anyways._

 _The bus had turned quiet, what with everyone asleep in their seats. The bus driver couldn't resist the tranquil atmosphere and fell asleep for a second. However, that one second was all it needed to cost many lives._

 _Everything happened so fast. The bus veering out of control, it going over a concrete barrier and rolling over and over again, roughly bouncing with each roll, until it stopped, the vehicle upside down. Umi felt extreme pain in her head, as if it was about to split into two. She looked over to her parents to see if they were okay. They didn't look okay to her, though. Blood covered most of their stature and their limbs were bent in odd angles._

 _Sirens were the last thing Umi heard before she blacked out._

 _Umi awoke in an abnormally white room, a beeping sound being the only that could be heard inside the otherwise silent air. Umi tried to sit up but suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She brought a hand up to her head and felt bandages wrapped around it. A nurse walked in and rushed over to Umi's bedside._

 _"You shouldn't force yourself now, dear. You had one mighty wound on your head so I suggest lying down for now."_

 _Umi nodded, the action causing another wave of pain to shoot through her skull. She laid down and the nurse went out of the room to call a doctor. The doctor came in a few moments later, though looking a bit dishevelled._

 _"Sonoda-san, was it?" Umi signalled with her hands to continue, seeing as nodding her head would cause more pain. "The good news is that you have not had any major fractions in any other parts of your body, though the minor fractions will take some to heal. The body parts affected were your left wrist, both your ankles, and your left leg."_

 _Umi looked to the aforementioned body parts and saw that they were wrapped in bandages as well._

 _"You may not be able to move for a while so please bare with it." The doctor's face grew stern. "The bad news is that you have had severe brain trauma and possible retrograde amnesia."_

 _"Retrograde amnesia, sir?" Umi asked._

 _"Yes. Often caused by brain trauma, a person with retrograde amnesia simply cannot remember events that happened before the injury that had caused it. Though, people with this type of amnesia usually fall into a coma, I'm quite surprised you've already woken up." The doctor approached her and patted her shoulder. "You have a very strong will to live, Sonoda-san."_

 _Umi, not knowing how to react, just smiled at him._

 _The doctor continued, "Don't worry, this isn't permanent. You will recall memories, though in bits and pieces, and you can still make new memories. You might not remember anything before the accident or when you were seven years old. I suggest that you find a way to retain memories that you have recalled so that they may be stored in your long-term memory again."_

 _Umi thought about it and suddenly remembered something. "Is drawing the memory alright, sensei?"_

 _The doctor smiled at her. "Yes, that will do. So I take that you will need a sketchpad, some pencils and an eraser?"_

 _Umi nodded. "Yes sir, though I do not know where to get them. May I inquire where my parents are?"_

 _"I... I am afraid that your parents are no longer able to walk this earth. I am very sorry."_

 _Umi took a moment to process the information. "You mean, they're dead?"_

 _The doctor bowed his head. "Yes, I am afraid so."_

 _Umi tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain shooting through her skull. "Though, I am deeply sad of their passing, I will be strong for them."_

 _Her doctor nodded with a warm smile on his face. "In the sort time span I've talked to you, you seem to talk more like an adult than I do." He motioned to the door. "I best get going now. You'll need a lot of rest and the nurses will come here every once in a while with painkillers."_

 _The doctor walked out the door, going to attend to his daughter._

 _..._

"Since then, I had drawn every memory that had suddenly come to mind and kept them in this sketchpad. When I saw you two when me and Maki were tailing Eli, a memory had suddenly hit me. I did not have the luxury to draw it down since Eli was about to reveal my...secret to everyone on this roof, so I decided to do it now."

Honoka and Kotori listened carefully to Umi's story, not one of them interrupting.

"I-i'm sorry for bringing this up, Umi-chan. It must have been painful." Kotori looked down, as though the ground was the most interesting thing in the world.

Umi smiled sadly at Kotori. "It's alright, Kotori. You have nothing to apologize for because you did not know."

Honoka was silent for the most part, taking in the information. She then spoke up, "Hey, Umi-chan, do you remember anything more about this memory you're drawing?"

Umi looked to Honoka. "No, not at the moment. This is the only thing that came to my mind. I am still puzzled as to why you two are in one of my memories. Though maybe my questions shall be answered when I regain the full memory."

Silence weighed heavily once again as two of the second years were in deep thought, one confusedly gazing from one person to the next. When Umi finally had enough of the silence,

"Uhh, guys?"

Kotori and Honoka stood up with so much speed that Honoka nearly stumbled. Honoka quickly caught hold of Umi's shoulder and regained balance. She put a hand behind her head and stuck her tongue out.

"Oops, hahah.."

"Honoka-chan, you should be more careful!" Kotori lightly scolded.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again!"

"I somehow doubt that..." Umi said under her breath.

Honoka and Kotori suddenly turned to Umi.

"Umi-chan,"

"Umi-chan!"

"Y-yes?" Umi stammered.

Honoka nodded to Kotori, who returned the gesture.

"We're going to help you regain your memories back! No mater how long it takes." They said in unison. Umi looked taken aback for a moment, but stood up as well, smiling warmly at both of them. She let out a little chuckle.

"I look forward to it."

Honoka's and Kotori's faces practically lit up in joy.

In their joy, they couldn't resist but kiss both of Umi's cheeks, making the latter flush a deep red. "K-k-kotori! H-honoka!"

Kotori and Honoka could just giggle.

..

Eli leaned back on the railings of the roof, took a deep breath and got her guitar out. She slung it around her neck and started plucking a tune. Not long after, she began to sing.

" _Kitto shirazu ni, ita hou ga yokatta?_

 _Sonna itami wo kakaenagara._

 _Nanimo iwazu waraun da mainichi_

 _Wasureyou tto iikikasete,_ "

Nozomi approached her and listened to the song for a while, water bottle in hand. She leaned back on the railings as well, beside Eli.

" _Arifureta kanashimi, arifureta itami to,_

 _Koboresou na namida koraete miru hoshi wa_

 _Itsumo yori mabushiku kagayaite ochisou da_

 _Watashi wo shizuka ni terasu keredo..._ "

Eli noticed Nozomi beside her and instantly stopped playing. Nozomi straightened up after hearing that the music was no more.

"Elicchi,"

Eli turned to Nozomi. "Y-yes?" There was something in her tone of voice that made Eli stammer.

"Why did you stop?"

Eli looked away, a little frown etched in her face. "I wanted to."

Nozomi made Eli look at her again. "Why?"

The frown deepened, if by a little bit. "Can we not talk about this?"

Nozomi was a little confused about Eli's behavior. All she was asking was why Eli stopped playing the moment she noticed her. Why would she frown, then?

"Elicchi," She started with a much gentler tone, which made Eli visibly relax, though the frown was still etched in her face. "All I asked was why you stopped playing when you noticed me beside you. That's all." Nozomi thought for a moment.

"You must have a deep reason for this if you act like this for something so trivial. Would you mind telling me?"

Eli sighed and admitted defeat. She really couldn't say no to this one. "You want me to tell you? You better sit down then, it's a long story."

Nozomi did as she was told, sitting down on the floor, Eli following suit. Eli sighed and sat back, leaning her body against the roof railings, looking up at the sky.

"It was about six years ago, I was still doing ballet, and we were pretty much happy with our lives."

...

 _The sun shone brilliantly in the cool winter morning, Eli outside her house playing with her sister Arisa. Winters in Russia were often very cold, but this was one of the times when it was warm enough to play outside. Eleven-year-old Eli was always fond of snow. How it would flutter down in a gentle dance when it was calm, or when it would blow like a hurricane in blizzards. She liked all of that._

 _"Hey, Arisa! Don't run off too far! Mom and Dad are going to get mad, you know." Eli chastised her sister when she got too far from their front yard._

 _Arisa smiled at her lopsidedly. "It's fine, Onee-chan! I won't go too far."_

 _With that, Arisa skipped and jumped on the snow, giggling happily as she did so. When she got closer to the sidewalk though, she tripped on a rock, sending her falling right onto the concrete pavement. At the same time, a car was speeding up to where Arisa was. Arisa's eyes widened._

 _"A-arisa!" Eli shouted. She wanted to help her sister. She wanted to push Arisa out of the way. She wanted to save her sister. But her legs refused to move. Eli stood there, waiting for the time when the impact would come. It didn't though.  
_

 _Eli's father had rushed up to get Arisa out of the way, her mother on the other side of the street. The couple were on their way back to their house when they heard Eli's shout and a car horn beeping madly. When they were sure both their daughters were not harmed, they went inside, their father commanding Eli and Arisa to follow._

 _"What were you doing, Eli Ayase?! You could clearly see your sister out on the road! A car was even speeding towards her! What the fuck do you think you were doing?!" Her father had shouted at Eli in the living room. Her father made Arisa go upstairs to their shared bedroom, probably not wanting her to hear him beat Eli, again._

 _Eli visibly flinched at the curse word thrown at her. But she wouldn't back down, like she always did. She's learned that when she doesn't fight back, her father diverts his attention to Arisa, which was, to say the least, not pleasant at all._

 _Eli adopted a cold look and answered, "What does it matter to you? You don't care about us anyway." Eli's father became red-faced with rage._

 _"Don't speak to me like that young lady! I am your father and therefore should be treated as such!"_

 _Eli smirked coldly. "Really? Wow, I didn't even notice. Such things do happen, no?" Her father looked like he was about to explode. "What's wrong, **father**? Did you eat chili peppers for breakfast? You look like you're about to blow a gasket there." Eli feigned concern. It sounded like sarcasm, really._

 _"Eli, please, stop it. Please, just apologize to your father. Please." Her mother pleaded with her. Eli faced her mother angrily._

 _"What? You want me to apologize to this oaf?" Eli gestured to her father. "Every time I do something, he always finds a way to punish me for things I didn't do!"_

 _Eli's father finally snapped. Right on cue, Eli thought. "That's it. I don't know why I still kept you around, you little bitch, but it's over now." He angrily shoved Eli to the door. "Out! You are not an Ayase anymore! Get the fuck out of my house!" He screamed._

 _Arisa overheard what had transpired and ran down the stairs, crying. "Mom! Dad! Are you really going to make Onee-chan leave?" Her father's face softened, even by a little, by the appearance of Arisa. He'd always favored her over Eli, though Eli didn't get jealous over it. Her sister was just too kind and gentle to be hated."_

 _"This," Their father gestured to Eli. "Is no longer your sister, Arisa dear. We're kicking her out." At the announcement, Arisa burst into tears._

 _"No, no! Dad, please don't make Onee-chan leave!" Arisa cried._

 _Her pleas were ignored though, as their father shouted once more. "You go up to your room, pack your things, and leave. You got it?"_

 _Eli smiled mockingly. "As clear as a bell, father dearest." She laughed as she sprinted up to their room. She grabbed the biggest backpack she get her hands on, threw all the clothes she could fit inside haphazardly, as well as some of her prized possessions, and grabbed her guitar from her side of the room. She went back downstairs, where her (once) family still was. Her father was looking rather pleased with himself, her mother and sister sharing the same look of sorrow._

 _Eli wanted to cry. She really was going, wasn't she? She didn't let herself cry though, as this would only make her father feel victory so she feigned excitement about leaving. She mustered up the most mocking smile she could make and looked at her father._

 _"Well then, big oaf I once called my father, mother, Arisa, I'm off. Hell knows I won't miss you, father. But I'll miss both mother and Arisa." She exited the house and walked until her house was out of sight. She sat down on the cold pavement and cried her heart out. In the midst of her crying, a blizzard suddenly kicked in. Eli was all alone on the sidewalk, crying to herself, as the blizzard raged on._

 _She'd really done it this time._

...

"A-a-and then... after that I-" Eli choked. When had she started crying? When had Nozomi started to hug her?

"Elicchi... I'm sorry for asking about this. I didn't know it would hurt this much." Nozomi was pained to see Eli crying. "You can tell me the rest some other time, okay? For now, we'll cancel practice."

Eli immediately lifted her head up. "B-but, Nozomi, y-you're Live. It's tomorrow, i-isn't it? You can't cancel now."

"Elicchi, you've already practiced us to perfection. We can do it. Just believe in us." Nozomi smiled at her. "You will come to watch, right?"

Eli shakily smiled. "I-i will. I promise."


End file.
